Barbaraok

Since we spend the summers in the PNW and often go into Canada (when the border was open) we always have a current passport with us. And we never fly without one. Just easier in so many ways; to always have it with us.

Since a plan is between you and Verizon and covers specific phones (or sims) and you as the other party, how do you sell it?

Hey, Blues, I just renewed my Texas DL, getting a "Star" for the Real ID and didn't send in copy of my birth certificate, just a copy of my passport (with the picture) was all they needed. This link might help: https://www.dps.texas.gov/internetforms/Forms/DL-15.pdf With my DL renewal, I sent a copy of the above form printed off and checked which items I was including, as well as having them detailed in the cover letter. When we go in to renew our licenses, we also print off copies of the requirements from the DPS website and take with us. I might say something like "I've gone over the checklist from the website" as I wave the printout "and believe I have everything here for you". We also always take a copy of their vision requirements for Eye Specialists filled out by our opthalmologist because Dave only has peripheral vision in one eye and it is just easier to give them the physician's statements.

In regards to medications, always ask if a GENERIC is available. There are loads of "new and improved" medications out there, but if your needs can be addressed by an older, proven medication that has generic equivalents available, you should also look into that first. Physicians tend to prescribe whatever the drug detail person has shown them recently. Also always ask about possible interactions with drugs you are currently taking. A lot of the "new and improved" are simply new combination of older generic drugs - and taking 2 pills each day at pennies per pill can save a lot when the "new and improved" 1 pill only is $10+ per pill. 😎

Did you have a major life change, life moving?

Well our 1099s from SS weren't. And we have everything marked ONLINE for Social Security. Again, if one buys a lot of things, especially smaller items, then a LOT of them will be shipped via USPS. Everyone has different things sent to them.

Actually there is a once a year statement that includes your 1099 that SS has to send by mail. There is a plan to move it to on-line but it takes time. I don't know about you, but every once in a while we have cards that are compromised, never mind those that expire. So about once a year, between the two of us, we have at least one card that is replaced.. The medications isn't just if we are traveling - with our Part D insurance (thank you UT System) our medications are cheaper through Express Scripts than at Walgreens. And they are shipped free to us, but only if we don't request 'enhanced' shipments. Thus it is taking longer and longer to get refills, but insurance will only refill so many days before we are scheduled to run out. Most of our friends who use the VA have all their meds shipped to them via USPS. A lot of items that I order online are shipped via USPS and FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc., use USPS for the "last mile" for an awful lot of smaller items. I am making masks for my daughter (who teaches special ed classes) her aide and other teachers at her school. So every 3 weeks or so, I ship another batch off (with new seasonal theme) via flat rate Priority Mail. DL only good for 6 years in Texas.

Our medications come by mail. But if the mail service gets worse, we will have to move everything to Walgreens, slightly more expensive, but better than trying to figure out the delay in getting needed maintenance meds. Our registration stickers for our vehicles. Driver's licenses Replacement credit cards. Social Security Statement - is in the law that they must send out paper statement each year. Renewal Passports Christmas Cards

Yes, as most threads do we have drifted far afield from the original post - just like call conversations around a group campfire.

June 6, 1978 also. And then there was the nightly body count. UGH

Rod, if you weren't around in the '50s, then you really don't understand the '60s. And shame on you for thinking that the '60s were the best years for 'your' generation, they certainly weren't for mine. If you can't remember with vivid clarity every step of your day on Nov 22, 1963, then you really don't understand the '60s - - you simply were not old enough.

Western Washington State College. actually met Dave in a Chemistry lab. As the only woman chem Major, my lab coat “fit” differently!😉 He’s doing much better. Both nephrologist and cardiologist happy with progress.

I love Seattle, but I can't handle the winter anymore. That damp cold goes straight through the bones and there is a reason that everyone drinks a lot of Coffee in Seattle - the sun never shines from October until April, just grey drizzle day after day. But that means beautiful summers until the fires come.

Went to college on the West Coast in the 60s. Even have pictures somewhere of my granny dress, sandals, and beads.😎. Spent my 21st birthday club hopping in North Beach of San Francisco and ended up at Basin Street West at 4 am having breakfast and listening to Lionel Hampton on the Xylophone, as it was called then!

Anyone who thinks there was no drugs, sex, or violence in the 40s, 50s, and/or 60s is either someone 20 yrs old or is suffering from memory loss.

Interesting.

Goldenskyhook, One of the big differences is that there was a law case in Texas and Escapees address was judged to be a legal physical address for voting, etc. I believe that South Dakota has now officially recognized someone having an address at an RV park that they stayed overnight at before registering will suffice as a legal address for DL, registration, voting. And some Florida counties also will recognize a mail forwarding service address for purpose of DL, registration, voting, etc. That's one reason that a lot of full timers use services in those three states. Others do you an individual mail box at a UPS store - some states are ok with that for DL, reg purposes, others are not. And a lot of full timers use a child's address (or other trusted relative) whether or not they have their mail delivered there. Even though our daughter lives in Texas, we decided just to keep everything at the Escapees address and not burden her, she teaches school and has enough on her plate as it is!

The only difference we found towing is that if you go into California, it is 55 mph if towing. We actually have a sweet spot at 58, so that's what we do as everyone else passes us by, including a lot of people towing. But with Texas plates, we don't want to anger any CA official. 😎

I don't look for what is listed on the USPS website for services at post offices near me, I use their Zip Code Lookup page, type in General Delivery in the street address and then the city, state and then search for the zip code. I have never had two addresses come up for the General Delivery street address, only one with a special extended zip code. For example, for Phoenix there is only one: GENERAL DELIVERY PHOENIX AZ 85034-9999 As far as I can tell, the General Delivery usually has the -9999 as the end of the zip code. Of course I always have it sent Priority Mail and don't go to get I until I receive the text that tells me it available for pickup. I love that you can track the Priority Mail and be notified by text each time it moves - - you would be surprised at some of the routes packages take to get to you.😱

Buy local. I would love to do more of that but; we had to spend the summer in the Mesa, AZ area because of Dave's health, so that meant dependent on local stores and the situation of skyrocketing virus contagion in the state. At one point it was the most dangerous place to be. Two, most people in Arizona did not believe there was a problem until several funeral directors started asking the state for help in ordering refrigerated truck because bodies were piling up. Three, since most people refused to believe there was a problem, people were not wearing masks, including store owners, store employees and total jerks off of the street. All of which meant, there was no way in h*ll that I was going to walk into any 'local' store. Now some of the big box stores started offering curbside pickup, like the grocery stores and restaurants, or it was ordering online. And who had the most things to chose from, Amazon. Did I like to patronize them continuously, no. Was I going to chance walking into a place and getting the virus and bringing it home to my husband who's recovering from quadruple bypass surgery and pacemaker implantation? NO. I almost lost him when the original surgery was done - he spent a week (alone) in cardiac ICU, had to have 3 days of dialysis, and his recovery is just now turning the corner and the original surgery was in March! And yes, I am angry. I am angry at all of the idiots that refuse to believe science but will believe the latest conspiracy theory and snake oil salesmen. I am so tired of scientific illiterate people trying to call every thing a hoax. I am tired of worrying about family who are having to stay inside there homes because the air is so bad because of the smoke from all of the fires on the West Coast. I'm tired of people who won't do simple things like wear a mask, stay 6' away from others, not go into crowded places, not practice good hand washing hygiene. So don't lecture me on what I have to do!

This morning the sun coming up in Mesa, Arizona was an orange globe. The haze was horrible on Friday, dissipated somewhat yesterday and back again today. Eyes are itchy from it.

Since Amazon doesn't manufacture one single item, I'm not sure why Derek is up in arms about this. Last I saw, Amazon, like Walmart, Target, etc., will buy enough of one item from one manufacturer to get a "branding" all their own. I am quite sure that those same products are sold under a variety of names/brands in stores all over the country. That's what the Consumer Protection Agency does, monitors, assembles information/data and then will make recalls that will be widely publicized. I agree with Joel, this was a 'click-bait' article. Given the number of items that Amazon is the middleman on, of course some of those that are defective will have been purchased through Amazon either as their own 'brand' or sold by Amazon. I would hate to think what the past 6 months would have been like without the ability to have items shipped to us. Could I have tracked down each and every business that produces something we have purchased the past 6 months, probably. But it would be a lot of more time spent trying to find those little companies that have benefited by being on the Amazon site. I'm thinking of the non-sodium, non-potassium baking soda and baking powder that allow Dave to enjoy pancakes, muffins, all sorts of baked quck breads again.

The park we use to stay at in Mesa had mailboxes at the curb at each site, and as people moved out, the park staff came through and robed the mailboxes closed. When you moved in the following year, the mailbox was opened up as part of the setup process. At a current location we put in a temporary change of address to our Escapees address for the summer. When we return in the fall, there is a green card in each of the mail boxes (centralized in a covered area) and you fill it out to let them know you are back and drop it in the outgoing mail slot. The park REMINDS people over and over to send in their temporary change of address during the spring as everyone is moving out. Of course this year we didn't do that since we never left.

We didn't get a lecture like that at Summerdale, but did get a similar one at the Benson post office. VERY angry about all these RVers coming through, which I thought was funny because that town really needs tourist money. But I assume most of the snowbirds who spend any time do get a PO Box. On the flip side, when we were in Benson Dave needed some blood work done, and we went to the hospital - they were happy for our business and told us how they looked forward to winter visitors.

Through the years, I have found that asking your Congressional & Senatorial representatives for help navigating an agency that is acting out often gets the best result. Congressional staff love to do "constituent service", helps with re-election, etc. And the staffs really love helping people try and get a bureaucracy give the service that is needed. When my mom had trouble with the Ogden Center handling income tax returns, she turned to Sen. Magnuson (D-Washington) and every year after that she got a letter, with a carbon copy to the IRS Director, from his office asking if her return was handled properly. This went on until he left office.